Eyes, Window, Soul, Spirit - Its Not In His head It's In His Heart!
by Illusion of a Ruffian
Summary: After returning to a war filled Shuggazoom, is Chiro ready to take the battle on himself or will he crumple like others before him? Alone, and changing, will Chiro succeed? Or will time run out for both Shuggazoom City and it's boy hero? Join his journey as he discovers, in his absence, what truly happened to the team, the city and why he, himself, is suffering now.
1. Prologue

"_When did it get like this?" _

A young lad of fifteen wormed his way through the panicking crowds. His now simple, jet black uniform concealed his appearance perfectly. The only thing that was visible was his eyes. He was therefore, unidentifiable.

He pushed his way through the remainder of the people, to get a better look. Even from under his black mask, his cyan eyes could identify the reason for the crowd's upset.

He stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth agape. His eyes widened in disbelief and fear. His worst nightmare, the pit of doom now extended into the centre of the city!

He shakily stepped back. The pit's crater had now grown to an enormous capacity. It was swallowing three quarters of Shugazoom City and beyond! It stretched for miles. Probably further then the human eye could see! This was the last thing he had expected upon his return.

This infernal pit of doom was filled with thousands, most likely millions of newly designed skeletal formless. All armed and ready for battle, they marched forward in mass, being urged by an invisible evil force.

He turned and ran. The crowds had since moved off in random directions, allowing him the space to travel quickly. His speed was unmatched now, and with a blink of an eye he was gone.

Luckily the boy knew where he had to go and what he had to do. Using the darkest alleys, and loneliest corners he ran on, and then suddenly stopped. Looking up high he soon saw a spot where he could look out onto the changes of his beloved city. He gathered his thoughts. He must prepare for the horrors he might see before him.

He cupped his hands in front of his abdomen. Accessing his carefully concealed powers, he leaked just enough to utilise, but nothing more. With his thoughts and worries calmed, he proceeded.

In a light green flash he was gone.


	2. Chapter 1

A small green light shone on to the roof top of the nearby building; and from it a darkly dressed form appeared. The little stunt when unnoticed, as the boy leant a foot on the very edge of the roof top in order to get a better look down at the ground below.

Surprisingly, what he was searching for was gone.

With a sigh escaping the boy's lips, he closed his soft blue eyes shut. Deep in concentration he tried to sense his way through this deranged city. His power primate energy slowly seeped through the atmosphere, creating a mental map of everything. The further it spread, the more he saw. But there was just no sign of the super robot or its inhabitants.

After what seemed like an eternity, his blue eyes flickered open once more. He stepped back, removing himself from the ledge he had balanced on. Tugging at his shirt's collar a sense of unease washed over the boy. However, right now, he could not explain why. With one last sweep of the surrounding area he sat cross legged on the roof top, in the lotus position. He finally succumbed to the fact he would have to meditate properly.

He began to mentally decipher the evidence his energy scan had produced. The super robot was unexplainably gone. Missing from its usual docking bay, he could not locate it either sensually or physically. This left only two possible explanations for this result.

One, was the monkeys and possibly Jinmay too, had taken the super robot out into the galaxy. The most plausible reason for this would be a mission of some description. If they had fled, they better have a good excuse for leaving Shugazoom to suffer to like this! But regardless of the reason for their absence, this would explain why he couldn't locate any energy signals from any of the hyperforce members.

Or two, the option he dreaded the most, the super robot, Jinmay and the robot monkeys had all been deactivated, or been converted.

'_But what of the monkeys? Jinmay too!'_

His heart ached deeply in his chest. His emotions thundered through him desperate to leak and show their true feelings and power. He closed his eyes tightly. He was better than this now. His will had turned to iron; his heart was hardening too. His fists clenched tight from the pain.

"_What happened to them_?" Questions churned through the youngster's confused mind. It had been a year, give or take. But still, he kind of hoped he would see more signs sooner than this. This was the worst case scenario ever! Everyone of importance had vanished without a trace. Skeleton King was laying waste to the city. Nobody was fighting back!

He sat there meditating for several hours when he heard a panicked scream. "Monkeys!" This certainly caught the teen hero's attention. He peered from his hiding spot and his heart leapt at the sight before him. Relief, warmth, and joy all mixed into one, until he saw the situation unfold below him.

The golden warrior, his old third in command, was there saving a citizen! A smile crept over the boy's face. But there was something amiss. He could feel it from his fellow humans. They were not experiencing the same emotions he felt. There was tension, panic and that was when it hit the boy. He could smell the fear! His smile soon vanished.

"Sting ring!" the yellow monkey yelled, as she aimed her attack at the cornered crowd. Their screams, and pleas fell on deaf ears as the determined warrior continued her frontal assault. She was yet to deliver a direct hit. She was merely herding the crowd to exactly where she wanted them. Blocking any area she did not want the humans to go with her energy attacks.

Suddenly a real piercing scream cut the air. It came from the same group of civilians below, but when he saw the sight, he too was winded. His breath abandoned him. There, below him, was a black furred, robotic monkey with green orbs. He could feel his skin prickle at the sight.

'_Was he dreaming? _But_ how was it possible?_' This was a sight the boy never expected to see in the flesh ever again. Without even realising, a lone tear slid from his right eye, staining the bottom of his mask as it escaped. His original mentor had always been full of surprises. But this stunt was Antauri's best yet. He had gone from the robotic silver monkey to the half robotic, half organic black monkey.

But despite the relief of seeing his former team mates operational. He would not let their new attitude slip. Antauri's ghost claws had nearly punctured a harmless human mother and child. Pushing his own, mixed up emotions aside, he readied himself for action.

Their plan was easy to see, Nova had acted as the co-ordinator, while Antauri sneakily dealt the final blow.

The high ground he stood on offered a brilliant advantage point; though it still did not change the fact the boy detested what he saw. He could not see any of the other hyper force members nearby. He carefully co-ordinated his own counter attack. "I'm so sorry team." the boy whispered quietly into the wind. He formed a lightning bolt within the palm of his hand and threw it far over the edge of the roof top.

If it was detected, they wouldn't source his location quick enough. He had become a master of a new art now, speed.

The bolt flew undetected. Since his unwilling and unforeseen departure the boy had learned many new tricks. The bolt looked like his original signature move, but when it suddenly vanished from sight and reappeared as a clustered ball of energy. It was then you would realise just how much he had advanced in controlling his power.

The energy crackled behind the primates, just above their head. The light successfully blinded them allowing the humans to escape out of the corner. Just as the two primates went to amend the situation they were suddenly struck down by two lightning bolts. The energy ball, which was now depleted melted into the air, leaving two stretched out monkeys face down in the dirt. A small amount of steam protruded from their jet packs.

The boy closed his blue eyes once more, he had moved away from the roof top's edge, straight after he unleashed the attack. His extra senses told him the exact result. Two monkeys down, eight humans freed. He shook his head as a deep feeling of regret filled him. He concentrated past this as a green flash enveloped his entire body; and then he was gone.


	3. Chapter 2

The boy opened his eyes as he re-emerged from his teleportation.

Luckily this building was still standing. Otherwise he would of teleported into open ground. After a brief moment of concentration, he concluded there were no other life forms in the building. This once bustling hotel used to attract people far and wide from across the galaxy, but now it was nothing more than a void.

His eyes scanned the room. It was the one he had stayed in many years ago, before the monkey team entered his life. It was in fact, the destination of the last family outing he had ever had with his human family. His eyes squeezed shut beneath the mask. That memory was still raw in his mind and heart.  
He honestly thought he was starting to gain control of his emotions. But coming back here was proving to be even tougher than he had already thought. He could feel his powers pulsing. But the pain was nothing compared to what he would experience in the future.

Pulling himself out of his darker thoughts he gave a quick re-assessment of his location. Convinced he was now entirely alone, he carefully undone the hood that concealed the majority of his face and hair. He switched a small lamp on, giving the room an eerie glow, as he finally removed the mask that covered his eyes.

In short, this revealed the being to be none other than Shugazoom City's prized boy hero, Chiro.

His out of control dark hair had grown a little longer making it appear spikier than before. His skin now had a sun kissed glow. He had grown a few inches taller, though his build was still very slim it had a little bit more muscle tone now. All in all, it was small things about the boy that really should be the same, that had changed.

The major change on the outside was nothing to do with natural ageing. It was in his eyes. His once, bright, baby cyan pools had seemingly become tinged with a light shade of red. The result? His eyes were now a soft purplish hue.

"_The eyes are the window to your soul's turmoil Chiro. But you must recall in time. It is the soul that is the truest window to your deepest spirit, and that will never change, regardless of the state of your body or soul."_

Chiro looked in the shattered remains of a mirror that hung limply from the wall. He had not yet figured the real meaning behind this teaching. But he had been taught this quote and been told to repeat it so many times, it had become ingrained in his mind.

He carefully studied his reflection in the left over mirror. He was beginning to notice tiny changes himself. It worried him? Yes. There was no denying that! Firstly it had felt like he had changed inside; but now? He was not so sure if it was truly contained.

Tossing aside the black hood and mask, he yanked off his black boots. He no longer wore his white and orange hyper force uniform. The risks of returning to a potential war zone were bad enough, but opting for a stand out costume? Chiro might as well sign the death certificate himself! He did not have the time for unnecessary risks. Not now.

With a long drawn out sigh the exhausted boy collapsed onto the remainder of the bed. It was clear the bed had not been used for years, but he did not mind. As he tried to make the most of the small comfort, his head swam from what he had already found out.

Chiro was honestly, not sure what he might return too. But he was steadily piecing together the scenes he had seen. He just needed to know why and how to stop it. Time was a real issue now; for both Shugazoom City and the boy hero.

A cautious approach was key, this he realised. He was no-where near strong enough for a full on frontal attack. Alone, it would be mere suicide. But if the worse come to the worse. Push comes to shove. That he, Chiro, the so called chosen one; was the last one standing between Shugazoom City's freedom and a possessed alchemist, turned bone bag, that had become accidentally re-resurrected. He would fight, he would give his all; Win or die trying. This was a vow he would keep in this world, and beyond.

He had taken months to prepare himself for his true return to Shugazoom. Many scenarios had played through his mind previously. Some were good, some were bad. But these were nothing more than expectations, preparations, hopes, and wishes that had role-played through his mind since the seed of return had been planted. However he had learnt to not cling on to these thoughts as tightly as he once would have. He would lay them as a foundation. What others might throw? He would build upon.

He had learnt to take a more logical thought pattern now. The allies he made when he was alone taught him many things, and he hoped he taught them a few things too! He knew the risks; he understood he was the number one target. In fairness, he would not expect anything less. It made sense in war to attack your enemies. So if his identity was discovered, he would have to go with his instincts.

Despite the cautiousness Chiro had taken, he had not been slacking off since his departure. He had trained extensively. He adapted his training to help with his return too. Navigating an unknown battle field unassisted, he had trained for. Establishing connections, observations, progress, and tactics he had prepared for. However the emotional kick of your home world being sabotaged by a possessed bone war lord whilst being utterly alone was heart breaking.

No amounts of training, preparation or iron will, could stop that! The crushing deflating feeling he felt from seeing just two of the members of the hyper force act up, stung deeply. This development ultimately gave him the strength to dig deep; he would strive to save his family, friends, home; Regardless of the consequences.

It was then he took a silent vow. He realised the extent of the situation now. In order to effectively manage it, he needed a target, in this case a vow. He set it deep in the chambers of his heart, as a reminder for his new mission. Possibly the last one he ever fought for.

He could go on, maybe not physically one day. But spiritually he knew he could become eternal. His power didn't come from his head, limbs or pride. It came from his heart and soul.

"_I have to stay true to myself in order to succeed; I pledge this promise, entwined with my own self-belief, that I will save the city and defeat him; Even if I have to take him down to the pits of hell with me. In short, I won't let you down monkey team, or you Jinmay either_!_"_

With a stifled yawn, the boy finally let his thoughts go. He fell into a light slumber due to the fatigue his body felt. But despite the eerie coldness that surrounded Shugazoom's atmosphere and no heating or cover on the bed. The boy felt no cold. He would never feel cold again.


End file.
